a thoughtful consideration of the future for emergency management

Predicting the future for what might happen to the profession of emergency management and how it is practiced under the Trump Administration has become almost anyone’s guessing game. While many have shared their ideas for what might lay ahead, I thought that his opinion piece was measured and relevant, see The Shifting Emergency Management Balance

What I particularly liked was this section:

A Smarter Way Forward

If the U.S. wants to rebalance the federal‑state relationship in disaster management, it should do so deliberately and transparently. Several principles are critical:

1. Clarify legal roles. Congress must clearly define which disasters qualify for federal help and how responsibilities shift, rather than leaving interpretation to executive discretion.

2. Fund the shift. Responsibility without resources is failure by design. Any decentralization must include funding, staffing, and technical assistance to build state capacity.

3. Maintain national standards. Even if states take the lead, there must be baseline preparedness, equity, and accountability standards to prevent inconsistent outcomes.

4. Strengthen mutual aid. FEMA can serve as a guarantor for state‑to‑state cooperation, ensuring that interstate assistance remains viable.

5. Plan the transition. A gradual approach, with pilots, reviews, and evaluation, would reduce risk and preserve readiness.

But, but…I don’t feel good about these types of steps being taken…by this administration. It is too thoughtful and reasonable. I think the mindset is just cut, cut, cut and you guys deal with the results.

We’ll see what happens!